I found this point particularly interesting. I see this all the time. People attempting to shame or cast you as less than them, less than a "normal" person.

It certainly does feed itself.

Yes, that point jumped out at me as well. Of course, it really shouldn't surprise anyone that "ordinary people, just like you and me, can engage in such antisocial behaviour. For a specific period of time, you can actually become a troll." As a wise man once said, it's much easier to see and complain about the mote in someone else's eye than it is to recognize and deal with the beam in your own.

I have found, however, that people are more willing to take that risk IRL as a result of the increased activity of engaging in riskless e-fights. I have had occasion to tell people IRL - just as I have here - that I am absolutely unimpressed by any other person's outrage. If anything, I am outraged at the excess of outrage we are all (in the aggregate) expressing, which I believe is used as an excuse to attack people we do not like rather than actually work together to solve problems.

I haven't found this myself irl. I don't get called a nazi, white nationalist, or have people get aggressive with me because I don't go nuts on every stupid thing trump does. My wife says it's due to my slight cauliflower ear on one side.

But you are right, people are so tribal these days, I don't believe they want problems solved.

But you are right, people are so tribal these days, I don't believe they want problems solved.

It is not so much a question of tribalism as ideologism. So many people believe (politically-speaking, not necessarily theologically-speaking, though of course there can be and is overlap) what they want to believe, and are more emotive than intellectual about it. If there was anything particularly admirable about the founders of the United States, it is that they placed reason above emotion when expounding upon their political philosophies and making decisions - even when they disagreed, vehement though they may have been in the process.

It is not so much a question of tribalism as ideologism. So many people believe (politically-speaking, not necessarily theologically-speaking, though of course there can be and is overlap) what they want to believe, and are more emotive than intellectual about it. If there was anything particularly admirable about the founders of the United States, it is that they placed reason above emotion when expounding upon their political philosophies and making decisions - even when they disagreed, vehement though they may have been in the process.

More pulling out of guillotines and other nonsense I should have tapped to over the years. lol

It is not so much a question of tribalism as ideologism. So many people believe (politically-speaking, not necessarily theologically-speaking, though of course there can be and is overlap) what they want to believe, and are more emotive than intellectual about it. If there was anything particularly admirable about the founders of the United States, it is that they placed reason above emotion when expounding upon their political philosophies and making decisions - even when they disagreed, vehement though they may have been in the process.

I use tribalism as a more colorful way to say ideolgism, however, most of these people aren't even ideologues but puppets repeating the position of fox or cnn as their own. nothing can change thier minds and they feel part of something.